Sport-boot pressure monitor and method of use

ABSTRACT

A sport-boot pressure monitoring system and method of use. The system includes a left boot sensor having a left flexible fluid-containing bladder shaped to fit between a user&#39;s left leg and an interior surface of a left boot worn by the user and a left pressure sense element in pressure-sensing communication with the left flexible fluid-containing bladder, a right boot sensor that is similar to the left one, and a controller to provide a pressure alert if pressure between one of the user&#39;s legs and the interior surface of the boot worn on that leg violates a predetermined pressure threshold and to provide a proximity alert if a distance between the left and right boots violates a predetermined proximity threshold.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.14/755,148 filed 30 Jun. 2015, which is a continuation of Ser. No.13/652,421 filed 15 Oct. 2012, titled “Sport performance monitoringapparatus including a flexible boot pressure sensor communicable with aboot pressure sensor input, process and method of use,” issued 14 Jul.2015 as U.S. Pat. No. 9,078,485, which in turn claims priority from U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/547,614 titled “Sport performancemonitoring apparatus, process and method of use,” filled 14 Oct. 2011,and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/713,464 titled “Sportperformance monitoring apparatus, process and method of use,” filed 12Oct. 2012, all of which are incorporated herein by this reference,including the source code appendix of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/713,464.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains or maycontain material subject to copyright protection. The copyright ownerhas no objection to the photocopy reproduction of the patent document orthe patent disclosure in exactly the form it appears in the Patent andTrademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves allcopyright rights.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to sport training devices. In oneembodiment, pressure distribution and limb proximity are monitored inreal time.

BACKGROUND

A typical ski turn can be described as a collection of decision pointsstarting with the point at which the skier decides to begin the turn. Acascade of other decisions and actions follow, all of them dependent onwhen that first decision was made.

To properly initiate a ski turn, varying degrees of forward pressure areexerted against the tongue of the ski boot. For example, in one commonturn in ski racing, the skier first exerts neutral forward pressure,followed by increasing continual forward pressure in varying degrees.Proper timing and maintenance of forward pressure can, depending onskiing conditions, improve the shape of the turn, the control of theturn, the speed of the skier, the direction of the turn, the quicknessof edge transitions and many other nuances of a ski turn. These factorsapply in varying degrees to varying ski conditions and circumstancessuch as recreational, racing, powder, groomed, ice, and bump (mogul)skiing as well as many other types of skiing and ski conditions.Teaching and training proper form with respect to ski turns isparticularly difficult due both to difficulty in externally observingforward or other pressure and ski proximity and to an inability tocommunicate the form break to the skier at the moment the problemoccurs.

One mechanical strategy of attempting to compensate for improperpressure distribution and ski proximity involves changing the physicalshape of the skis. Shaping the ski often makes skiing easier but it doesnot of itself solve the full range of issues that result from improperpressure distribution and ski proximity. For example, in ski racing, ifthe skier is not generating sufficient forward pressure, a turn can beinitiated but the racer can lose edge control, skidding and losing speedthrough the race course. This loss of control in one turn can causefurther loss of control in one or more subsequent turns and evencomplete loss of control and exit from the race course. The differencebetween a correct turn and a bad turn is often a direct result ofwhether the skier is applying sufficient forward pressure to theportions of the ski boots abutting the skier's lower shin and whetherthe skis are appropriately spaced, or in some cases such as bump skiingnot spaced, from one another.

Various electronic systems have been provided to try to providereal-time feedback to the skier. These systems have typically usedsmall, spot electronic sensors selectively positioned by the skier.These systems have proven to be inaccurate due to their small size andinability to detect leg pressure across the surface of the tongue of theski boot.

Additional disadvantages of the use of electronic spot sensors includethe cost of electronic sensors, the use of multiple sensors to obtainaccurate monitoring in a single ski boot, frequent adjustment to thelocation of the sensors within the boot in order to obtain the mostaccurate monitoring, and compromised durability due to susceptibility toweather conditions and friction.

Yet another disadvantage of these electronic systems is that they havenot provided any detection of ski proximity. In certain types of skiingconditions and in ski racing in particular, the feet should besufficiently independent, and the hips should not be locked in positionwith respect to the legs and feet. Further, when the feet aresufficiently separated from each other, the skier can generate edgepressure without tilting the body to one side. If a skier is notifiedonly of pressure distribution without also being notified of skiproximity, the skier can only generate adequate forward pressure bytilting into the turn compromising balance and increasing the risk offalling. The applicants have discovered that, since ski proximity issuch an important part of proper turn execution and other aspects ofskiing, the lack of proximity monitoring results in an incompletesolution to the training challenges surrounding proper ski turns andother aspects of skiing.

Another disadvantage of prior electronic methods is that many have notassociated each sensor with a specific limb and therefore have notindicated to the skier which leg was failing by, for example, exceedinga given pressure threshold. Further, the absence of independent,limb-associated sensors has prevented the skier from being able toadjust sensitivity independently for each sensor. This has resulted infailure to adequately report improper pressure for one of the two legs.Prior systems for monitoring skier lean have also typically employeduncomfortable or cumbersome mountings to the ski boot, the ankle, or acombination of both ski boot and ankle. Many of these systems haverequired semi-permanent to permanent positioning within the ski boot,making maintenance and location adjustment difficult.

Yet another issue is variability of ski boots and of the bones andtissue of the skier's shin. These variables have created even moredifficulties with prior methods.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME ASPECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE

The applicants believe that they have discovered at least one or more ofthe problems and issues with prior art systems noted above andadvantages variously provided by differing embodiments of a sport-bootpressure monitor, also referred to herein as a sports performancemonitoring apparatus, and methods disclosed in this specification.

Briefly and in general terms, a sport-boot pressure monitoring systemaccording to some embodiments includes a left boot sensor having a leftflexible fluid-containing bladder shaped to fit between a user's leftleg and an interior surface of a left boot worn by the user. The leftboot sensor also has a left pressure sense element in pressure-sensingcommunication with the left flexible fluid-containing bladder. Thesystem includes a right boot sensor having similar components. Thesystem also includes a controller responsive to the pressure senseelements to provide a pressure alert if pressure between one of theuser's legs and the interior surface of the boot worn on that legviolates a predetermined pressure threshold and to provide a proximityalert if a distance between the left and right boots violates apredetermined proximity threshold.

The pressure threshold may be a minimum pressure, and a violation ofthat threshold occurs if the sensed pressure is less than the minimum.Or the pressure threshold may be a maximum pressure in which case aviolation occurs if the sensed pressure exceeds that maximum. If thepressure threshold is a range of pressures, a violation occurs if thesensed pressure falls outside that range. In some embodiments there maybe different pressure thresholds for left and right legs. Similarly, theproximity threshold may be a minimum desired distance between the boots,a maximum, or a range where the alert is provided if the sensed distanceis either less than the low end of the range or more than the high end.

In some embodiments a radio transmitter such as a slave Bluetooth L.E.unit is carried by one of the boot sensors, a radio transceiver such asa master Bluetooth L.E. unit is carried by the other of the bootsensors, the transceiver in signal-receiving communication with thetransmitter, and a control unit having a radio receiver such as aanother slave Bluetooth L.E. unit in signal-receiving communication withthe transceiver. The pressure as sensed in the one boot sensor istransmitted to the transceiver which in turn sends both pressures to thereceiver in the control unit.

In some embodiments all functions are carried out within one or both ofthe boot sensors without a separate control unit, and instead thetransceiver communicates with a mobile phone or other device carried bythe skier. An app in the mobile phone enables the skier to control thesystem and receive pressure and proximity alerts through the phone.

In some embodiments, a monitoring system includes pressure sensorsrespectively adjacent each of a portion of a person's limbs toindependently report pressure applied or not applied to the sensor bythe associated limb. In some embodiments, the pressure sensorswirelessly report sensed pressure or absence of pressure to one or moreremote reporting devices. In some embodiments, sensors can beindependently adjusted as desired.

In certain instances, a monitoring system provides a persistentassociation between a limb and a particular sensor and wirelesslyreports information relating to interaction between the sensor and thelimb. In some instances, the system provides information allowing theuser to learn about that interaction in real time and, if desired, seekto adjust the user's performance in real time as a result.

In certain embodiments, the one or more remote reporting devices canprovide an audible sound or other indication in response to informationreceived from one or more sensors. In certain instances, the one or moreremote reporting devices provide a left limb audio report to the leftear of the person and a right limb audio monitor report to the right earof the person.

In some embodiments, at least one sensor includes a bladder, materialwithin the bladder, and a monitor of pressure of the bladder or thematerial in the bladder. In some embodiments, the material within thebladder may be a fluid that may include a gel, a liquid, a gas, or amixture of any of these.

In some instances, at least a portion of the sensor extends alongsubstantially all or a portion of a vertical length of a boot. Incertain embodiments the sensor includes a transmitter, and in someembodiments the transmitter is mountable external of a boot or otherfootwear. In certain embodiments the transmitter is mountable to theupper edge of a boot such as a ski boot or other footwear.

In some embodiments, the bladder can extend from a housing containing atransmitter and pressure sensor. In some embodiments, the pressuresensor can monitor pressure in the bladder and the transmitter cantransmit signals based upon or related to the level of pressure sensedby the sensor. As noted above, in certain embodiments the transmittercan do so wirelessly.

In some instances, the bladder is mountable adjacent the tongue or otherportion of a boot such as a ski boot. Pressure in the bladder canincrease or decrease in response to pressure applied by a lower leg inthe direction of the boot tongue or other portion of the boot adjacentto which the bladder is mounted.

In some embodiments the bladder has a liner made of a relatively soft,resilient, elastic, and flexible material. In some embodiments thebladder liner can include or be made of rubber or synthetic rubber.

In certain instances, the bladder or other sensor can have a relativelylong axially extending section, being (i) relatively wide transverse tothe axis of the axially extending section and (ii) relatively thintransverse to the relatively wide dimension. In some embodiments, thepressure of material within the bladder corresponds to changes inpressure against the bladder and tongue of the boot. This pressure canbe sensed by a pressure sensor.

In some embodiments, the bladder can be held in place by frictionbetween the bladder and a relatively large surface area that contactsthe bladder. Such a fit can be natural and convenient, and a bladderfitted in this way may be imperceptible to the wearer. In someembodiments the bladder can allow for a distribution of pressure againstand along the surface of the leg within the boot, thus improving comfortand in some instances facilitating toleration of long-term use. At leastcertain embodiments of a bladder can be more economical to implementthan piezoelectric or other electronic pressure sensing devices.

In some embodiments, the transmitter is relatively small and has one ormore of a generally planar lower side, a curved, arcuate mid-sectionextending upwardly from the lower side, and a bladder extending from thelower side. The curved, arcuate mid-section (or other formation of thetransmitter) can include one or more removable battery compartments,batteries, and associated removal structure for gaining access to theone or more battery compartments. At least some of these embodiments canbe easily mounted inside a boot, such as a ski boot for example, withthe bladder extending within the boot while the transmitter rests on anupper edge of the boot adjacent and somewhat surrounding the user's leg.Some such embodiments can be lightweight as well.

In some embodiments the bladder can include a bleed valve. In certainembodiments the bleed valve can enable the material within the bladder,such as gas in some embodiments, to escape when external pressuredecreases past a certain point. In some embodiments, the bleed valve canhelp prevent damage or undesired change in shape of the bladder as thebladder is transported to differing altitudes.

In certain embodiments, the system can include a controller communicablewith the transmitter. In some instances, the controller can include awireless receiver or transceiver. The receiver or transceiver can beadapted to receive transmissions from the transmitter.

In some embodiments, the controller can be relatively small andlightweight. The controller may have a curved peripheral shape adaptedto be easily grasped by a human hand. In some instances the controllercan easily be held in one hand or placed in a pocket in the wearer'sclothing.

In some embodiments the system can include earphones that can provide anaudible indication of pressure sensed by the limb pressure sensors. Suchearphones may be small, lightweight, and inexpensive. In otherembodiments the system can include one or more loudspeakers.

In some embodiments the user can adjust one or more thresholds (pressurelevels) detected by the sensor. In some embodiments a threshold may beset to report pressure going above or below a predetermined level. In askiing application, for example, pressure going below this threshold ina boot can cause an audible sound to be generated to alert the user. Thesystem can be altered to set thresholds as desired and to emit alertssuch as varying sound levels and varying types of sound responsive topressure events, for example pressure going above or below one or morethresholds.

In various embodiments, a proximity sensor system can detect distancebetween limbs, portions of limbs, or associated structure. In someembodiments, the system can determine if such a distance is within, oroutside of, a preferred range. In some embodiments, a predeterminedproximity range can be adjusted by the user to allow for more precisefeedback to assisting the user in correcting the distance between theuser's limbs or associated structure.

In some embodiments, the sports performance monitoring apparatus may beused for improvements in skiing technique by detecting pressure appliedto the front of each respective ski boot. This allows a skier to knowwhich leg has insufficient forward pressure, enabling the skier tocorrect pressure application for that leg.

In various embodiments, a proximity sensor can generate real timefeedback indicating to the skier that the distance between their skis isinside or outside a preferred range. In some embodiments, a definedproximity range can be adjusted by the skier to allow for more precisefeedback to assisting the skier in correcting the distance between theirskis.

In some embodiments, one or more proximity sensors and pressure sensorsare combined in order to improve the quality and quantity of feedback tothe user. In some embodiments, providing an indication that the distanceseparating the skis are outside of a given range can allow the skier tomore easily determine if the skier is correcting pressure distributionby improperly positioning the skier's skis rather than properlyredistributing pressure. In addition, through simultaneous monitoring ofpressure and proximity the skier can instantly determine if a break inform with respect to desired ski separation correlates to concurrentimproper pressure distribution.

In some embodiments, the sports performance monitoring apparatusgenerates distinctive types of notifications that allow a skier toreceive simultaneous feedback for proximity of skis and skier weightdistribution and lean, enabling the skier to make instantaneousadjustments. In some embodiments, the sports performance monitoringapparatus generates distinct audible tones indicating to the skierwhether the tone is associated with ski proximity or with pressuredistribution, enabling the skier to make the proper type of correction.

In some embodiments, the sports performance monitoring system islightweight, economical, and easy to use and maintain. In certaininstances, such a system includes two lightweight sensor units. Eachsensor unit has a wireless transmitter housing mountable externally froma boot and a pressure sensor with a sensing structure extendingdownwardly form the housing and mountable within a boot. The system mayinclude a lightweight controller and lightweight earbuds connected tothe controller. In some embodiments, the controller includes one or moreof the following features:

adjustable volume controls;

independently adjustable left pressure and right pressure thresholdranges;

independent single-button calibration of left pressure and rightpressure reference points;

independent LED indicators of active transmission from the left bootsensor unit and the right boot sensor unit;

a control to calibrate and toggle proximity detection activation;

a single button press to change a proximity detection separation point;

a control to reverse the generation of notification tones from toolittle forward pressure to too much, and from too close foot proximityto too much foot separation;

and selection of musical tunes instead of tones.

In some embodiments, the sports performance monitoring system includestwo distinct sensor/transmitter components. One of these components, amaster boot sensor unit, includes a controller, a proximity sensor, apressure sensor and a transmitter. The other component, a slave bootsensor unit, includes a controller, a pressure sensor and a transmitter.In some embodiments, proximity detection is accomplished by theproximity sensor detecting and measuring the strength of the pressuresignal transmitted by the slave boot sensor unit. This configurationreduces the number of components used to detect and report proximity byrelying on the pressure signal rather than using a separate proximitysignal.

In some embodiments the sports performance monitoring includes twosensor/transmitter units, one for each boot. Each includes a controller,a pressure sensor and transmitter, and a proximity sensor which may be areceiver. Proximity detection may be accomplished by each proximitysensor measuring the strength of the pressure signal from the other bootto provide a proximity value (for example, distance) and the two valuesmay be averaged to obtain a final proximity value.

In some methods of sports performance monitoring, the pressure measuredby a pressure sensor associated with at least one limb is monitored toprovide feedback to a user. In some methods, sensors associated with aleft boot pressure and a right boot pressure are monitored to providemore precise feedback to a user to improve sport performance. In someembodiments, a left audio signal is provided based on a monitored leftleg pressure and a right audio signal is provided based on a monitoredright leg pressure. In some embodiments, proximity between two limbs isalso monitored to provide very accurate feedback to a user to quicklyimprove their skiing ability and technique. Many other novel methods aredisclosed herein as well.

In some aspects, a sport-boot pressure monitoring system includes acontroller comprising a left boot pressure sensor input communicablewith a left boot pressure indicator and a right boot pressure sensorinput communicable with a right boot pressure indicator. The left bootpressure indicator comprises a left boot pressure audio output and aleft earphone, and the right boot pressure indicator comprises a rightboot pressure audio output and a right earphone. A left flexible bootpressure sensor is communicable with the left boot pressure sensor inputand a right flexible boot pressure sensor is communicable with the rightboot pressure sensor input. Each flexible boot pressure sensor comprisesa flexible bladder comprising a fluid bladder, with an interior,material-container compartment comprising a fluid-container compartment,and a pressure sensor communicable with the flexible bladder. The systemincludes a boot proximity sensor and a boot proximity sensor indicatorcommunicable with the boot proximity sensor, the boot proximity sensorindicator comprising a proximity audio output communicable with at leastone of the left and right earphones. The controller includes a proximityadjuster communicable with the boot proximity sensor indicator. Someembodiments include a logging function of saving values such aspressure, proximity, and set points, and providing the saved informationto a mobile phone or other device.

In some aspects, a sport-boot pressure monitoring system includes acontroller having left and right audio outputs. The controller includesa boot pressure sensor input communicable with a master boot sensorunit. The master boot sensor unit in turn is communicable with a slaveboot sensor unit. Each boot sensor unit includes a flexible bladdercomprising a fluid bladder with an interior, material-containercompartment comprising a fluid-container compartment, and a pressuresensor communicable with the flexible bladder. The slave boot sensorunit is responsive to its pressure sensor to transmit a signalindicative of the sensed pressure. The master boot sensor unit isresponsive to the signal from the slave boot sensor unit to sense thedistance between the master and slave boot sensor units and transmit asignal indicative of that distance and of the sensed pressures from bothpressure sensors to the controller. In some embodiments the left andright audio outputs are provided to earphones. In other embodiments theleft and right audio outputs may be communicated to a mobile phone, aniPod or MP3 player, or other suitable device for further communicationto the user. Either the right or left boot may carry the master bootsensor unit and the other may carry the slave boot sensor unit. In someembodiments the master and slave boot sensor units and the controllercomprise Bluetooth L.E. (Low Energy) units, also known as BluetoothSmart units; in these embodiments the slave boot sensor unitcommunicates only with the master boot sensor unit, and the controllerlikewise communicates only with the master boot sensor unit.

Some embodiments include one or more of the following features: eachflexible bladder is frictionally engageable with an inner surface of aboot; the left boot pressure indicator comprises a left pressurethreshold adjuster and the right boot pressure indicator comprises aright pressure threshold adjuster; and the left flexible pressure bootsensor comprises a left arcuate housing with the left flexible bladderextending from the left arcuate housing, the left arcuate housingcomprising a battery compartment and a pressure sensor circuit. In someembodiments the controller includes the proximity sensor indicator andfurther comprises a proximity adjuster, and the system may include aleft pressure threshold adjuster including a left boot pressure audiooutput and a right pressure threshold adjuster including a right bootpressure audio output.

In some embodiments the controller has a memory in data-receivingcommunication with the left and right boot pressure sensors and the bootproximity sensor. The controller may have a data output. The memory mayretain a series of measurements over time and may communicate themthrough the data output to a mobile phone or other external device, forexample by a suitable transmitter, a Wi-Fi connection, or the like.

In some embodiments the boot proximity sensor comprises a left receivercarried by the left boot, a right receiver carried by the right boot, aleft transmitter carried by the left boot and in communication with theright receiver, and a right transmitter carried by the right boot and incommunication with the left receiver. The controller may include hardwiring or software (or both) by which first and second values of bootproximity are determined from signals from the left and right receivers,respectively. The two values may be averaged in the controller byinstructions such as circuitry or software or both to provide a finalvalue of boot proximity.

In some embodiments each flexible boot pressure sensor comprises awireless pressure information transmitter and the controller comprises awireless pressure information receiver. In some embodiments the bootproximity sensor includes a left receiver carried by the left boot andin communication with the right boot pressure sensor, and a rightreceiver carried by the right boot and in communication with the leftboot pressure sensor.

In some embodiments, a sport-boot pressure monitoring system includes aleft bladder shaped for insertion between an interior surface of a leftboot and a portion of a left leg above a left ankle of a wearer, theleft bladder comprising a left flexible fluid container, a right bladdershaped for insertion between an interior surface of a right boot and aportion of a right leg above a right ankle of the wearer, the rightbladder comprising a right flexible fluid container, a left pressuresensor in pressure-sensing communication with the left bladder, a rightpressure sensor in pressure-sensing communication with the rightbladder; and a controller in data-receiving communication with the leftand right pressure sensors, the controller including an output.

Some embodiments of a method of monitoring pressure in sport bootsinclude monitoring left-boot pressure between an interior surface of aleft boot and a portion of a left leg above a left ankle of a wearer,monitoring right-boot pressure between an interior surface of a rightboot and a portion of a right leg above a right ankle of the wearer,providing the wearer with an audible left signal indicative of the leftpressure, and providing the wearer with an audible right signalindicative of the right pressure. In some embodiments, monitoringpressure in either or both boots includes inserting a fluid-containingbladder between the interior surface of the boot and the leg of thewearer, and monitoring an output from a pressure sensor inpressure-sensing communication with a fluid in the bladder. The audiblesignal may be based on the pressure being greater than, or being lessthan, a predetermined threshold or a threshold set by the wearer. Themethod may also include monitoring boot proximity and providing anaudible proximity signal based on the monitored boot proximity; this maybe done by comparing the actual boot proximity with a proximitythreshold that may be predetermined or set by the wearer.

There are other novel aspects of the present application. They willbecome apparent as this specification proceeds. It is therefore to beunderstood that the scope of the invention is to be determined by theclaims as issued and not by whether the claimed subject matter solvesany particular problem or all of them, provides any particular featuresor all of them, or meets any particular objective or group of objectivesset forth in the Background or this Summary.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred and other embodiments are shown in the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sports monitoring system operated by askier according to an exemplary embodiment disclosed herein;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a boot sensor unit of FIG. 1positioned in a ski boot partially cut out;

FIG. 3 is a rear cross-sectional view of the boot sensor unit of FIG. 2mounted adjacent the boot tongue;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the boot sensor unit of FIG.2;

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view showing various components includingthe circuit board of the boot sensor unit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of a controller of the system of FIG.1;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the controller of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of components of a master boot sensor unit ofthe sports monitoring system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of components of a slave boot sensor unit ofthe sports monitoring system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of components of a controller of the sportsmonitoring system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of the sports monitoring system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart of functions performed by the components of thesports monitoring system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is a flow chart of functions of the master boot sensor unit ofthe sports monitoring system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 is a flow chart of functions of the slave boot sensor unit ofthe sports monitoring system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a flow chart of functions of the controller of the sportsmonitoring system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 is a diagram of another embodiment of a sports monitoringsystem, showing communication links between a controller and two bootsensor units; and

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of a method of monitoring pressure and proximity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description provides examples, and is not limiting of thescope, applicability, or configuration set forth in the claims. Changesmay be made in the function and arrangement of elements discussedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Variousembodiments may omit, substitute, or add various procedures orcomponents as appropriate. For instance, the methods described may beperformed in an order different from that described, and various stepsmay be added, omitted, or combined. Also, features described withrespect to certain embodiments may be combined in other embodiments.

FIG. 1 depicts a skier 10 wearing ski boots 12 connected to a pair ofskis 14. The skier is holding ski poles 16. The skier 10 is using anexemplary embodiment of a sports monitoring system that includes twoboot sensor units 20 and 22 in communication with a controller 24. Theboot sensor units 20 and 22 communicate information regarding theperformance of the skier's respective limbs, here the skier's legs, tothe skier. More particularly, the boot sensor units 20 and 22 detect, bymeans of pressure sensors to be described presently, when too much ortoo little pressure is being applied to each respective boot by theskier. This information is fed back to the skier via the controller 24,which may be a wireless controller insertable into a pocket of theskier's clothing. In some embodiments, information from the controller24 is communicated to the skier through earphones 26. The boot sensorunits 20 and 22 may detect proximity of the boots to each other andprovide this information simultaneously with pressure information to theskier. Information relating to pressure may be audibly distinct frominformation relating to proximity.

In alternative embodiments, the controller 24 may communicate with oneor both of the boot sensor units 20 and 22 through wire connections. Inother embodiments the boot sensor units 20 and 22 may communicate withthe controller 24 through tubes capable of containing a gas; in theseembodiments the pressure sensors are actually located in the controller24.

With reference to FIG. 2, the boot sensor unit 20 or 22 includes agas-filled bladder 30 made of thin rubber extending from a housing 32,which includes at least a transmitter and a pressure sensor. Eachgas-filled bladder is easily insertable between the ski boot 12 and aleg of the skier 10. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the gas-filled bladder30 is inserted between the shin of the skier 10 and a tongue 28 of theski boot 12. The gas-filled bladder 30 is held in place by frictioncreated between the gas-filled bladder 30 and the shin of the skier 10and between the gas-filled bladder 30 and an inward face of the tongue28 of the ski boot 12.

The housing 32 is held in place approximately one inch above the top ofthe tongue 28 of the ski boot 12 by a strap 33. The strap 33 may befastened using Velcro or the like. Alternatively, the bottom side of thehousing 32 could rest on the top edge of the boot tongue 28 or otherupper boot structure.

The gas-filled bladder 30 is communicatively coupled to at least onepressure sensor that senses pressure of a material contained within thegas-filled bladder 30. The material within the gas-filled bladder 30 maybe a fluid such as a gel, a liquid, a gas, or a mixture of some or allof these. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the material contained within thegas-filled bladder 30 is ambient air. The pressure of the materialwithin the gas-filled bladder 30 corresponds to changes in pressureagainst the gas-filled bladder 30 and the tongue 28 of the ski boot 12.

The gas-filled bladder 30 is made of a relatively soft, resilient,elastic, and flexible material. The gas-filled bladder 30 can include orbe made of rubber or synthetic rubber. The gas-filled bladder 30includes a relatively long axially extending section, being relativelywide transverse to axis of the axially extending section and relativelythin transverse to the relatively wide dimension. In the embodiment ofFIG. 2, the gas-filled bladder is approximately 8.5 inches long with 0.5inches of the gas-filled bladder located within the housing 32 to ensurean air-tight seal between the gas-filled bladder 30 and the housing 32,and the bladder is approximately 1 inch wide and can increase toapproximately 0.75 inches in depth given full air pressure in thebladder 30 to provide accurate pressure sensing without causingdiscomfort to the skier 10. These dimensions can increase or decrease byas much as 50 percent or more to better function in different sizedboots or to provide better sensing, reduce power consumption, etc. Itshould further be appreciated that the shape of the gas-filled bladder30 can include various other shapes that, for example, can be insertedbetween the tongue 28 of the ski boot 12 and the leg of the skier.

In alternative embodiments, the boot sensor units 20 and 22 may includeany pressure sensor system that senses pressure along a substantiallength of the front of the ski boot 12. These alternative embodimentsmay include, instead of or in combination with the gas-filled bladder30, any of a number of types of pressure sensors placed along asubstantial length of the tongue 28 of the ski boot 12 to accuratelydetect changes in pressure. Such pressure sensors may include, forexample, compressed gas pressure sensors, piezo resistive strain gaugesensors, capacitive pressure sensors, electromagnetic pressure sensors,piezoelectric pressure sensors, and potentiometric sensors. The specificoperation of the pressure sensors will be further described in referenceto FIG. 8 below. Such alternative pressure sensors can be used to detectbackward pressure against the ski boot 12, lack of backward pressureagainst the ski boot 12, or excess pressure against the front of the skiboot 12.

FIG. 3 gives a more detailed rear view of an exemplary embodiment of theboot sensor unit 20 or 22 including the gas-filled bladder 30 extendingfrom the housing 32 and in contact with the tongue 28 of the ski boot12. However, the gas-filled bladder 30 may instead be inserted betweenthe leg of the skier 10 and the back of the ski boot 12, or any otherposition desirable for the improvement of sport performance. Forexample, in skiing powder conditions, it may be useful for the skier 10to be notified when too little or too much backward pressure is exertedagainst the ski boot 12 to help the skier 10 keep the skis 14 afloat andprevent the front of the skis 14 from diving into the snow. In suchcircumstances it may be useful to place the boot sensor units 20 and 22in the backs of the ski boots between the calves of the skier and backportions of the ski boots. Similarly, it may be useful to notify theskier when too little or too much forward pressure is exerted againstthe tongues 28 of the ski boots. This and other such configurations willbe further discussed in reference to FIG. 6 below.

FIG. 4 provides an exploded side view of an exemplary embodiment of theboot sensor unit 20 or 22 including the gas-filled bladder 30 extendingfrom the housing 32. The housing 32 may be a molded plastic housing. Insome embodiments, a button 34 activates a tact power/reset switch 38 andalso serves as a bleed valve when located on an upper portion of thehousing 32. The reason for having a bleed valve is to allow for pressurenormalization at altitude, thus allowing the gas-filled bladder 30 tomaintain a normal shape. The tact power/reset switch 38 is protectedfrom unintentional operation by a protective barrier 40 which may bemade of plastic or other suitable material. In certain embodiments, theprotective barrier 40 is integral to the plastic housing 32. A mountingplate 42, made of metal or other material, connects the housing 32 to agas-filled bladder plug 44. A cover plate 46, formed of bonder rubber orother material, slips over the gas-filled bladder 30 to seal the housing32 and create an air-tight compartment including a combination of thegas-filled bladder 30 and the housing 32. Fasteners (not shown) such asscrews may be used to connect the cover plate 46 and the mounting plate42 to the housing 32 to create an air-tight compartment.

In the embodiment shown, the housing 32 has an arcuate shape in thehorizontal plane to be placed in contact with the leg of the skier. Thishousing has an interior radius of approximately 1.585 inches and anexterior radius of approximately 0.44 inches. The housing 32 isapproximately 2.275 inches tall and approximately 2.879 inches wide andhas a depth of approximately 0.726 inches from the interior radius tothe exterior radius. Some or all of these dimensions may be increased ordecreased up to 50 percent or even more to reduce weight, to improvesensing, etc. In alternative embodiments, the shape of the housing 32may also be configured to rest above the back of the ski boot 12 andagainst the calf of the skier.

Also with reference to FIG. 4, a circuit board 48 is included in thehousing 32. A power supply, for example two “AA” or “AAA” batteries 52and 53, for example alkaline batteries, may be provided. In thisembodiment, the two batteries are connected in series through themounting plate 42, with a positive terminal of the battery 52 contactinga spring contact 54 and a negative terminal of the battery 53 contactinga spring contact 55. Other power sources may be used and may be locatedapart from the boot sensor unit 20 or 22; for example, a battery packmay be wired to the boot sensor unit 20 or 22 and carried in the skier'spocket or attached to any convenient place such as a rear of the skiboot 12, 10. A rechargeable power source may be provided and may becharged by a USB connection, a wireless charging platform, or the like.Or the various components of the boot sensor unit 20 or 22 may beconsolidated to reduce size and power consumption.

In some embodiments, each boot sensor unit 20 or 22 weighs approximately5.7 ounces with two “AA” alkaline batteries 52 and 53 inserted into thehousing 32. In some embodiments, the weight of the two boot sensor units20 and 22 differs based on added functionally included in one or moreboot sensor units 20 and 22. These weights are merely exemplary and mayincrease or decrease depending on design, type of battery, featuresprovided, etc. Substantial weight reduction may be possible withminiaturization of the circuit board 48 and its components.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary embodiment of battery spring terminals 54 and55, tact power/reset switch 38, and the circuit board 48. The circuitboard 48 may carry a Bluetooth L.E. (Low Energy) transceiver (not shown)for communication between one boot sensor unit and the other or betweena boot sensor unit and the controller.

The circuit board 48 may also carry various types of intelligenthardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), ageneral-purpose processor, or a digital signal processor (DSP). It mayhave electronic circuitry embedded in an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or otherprogrammable logic device. It may have discrete gate or transistorlogic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof toenable the boot sensor units 20 and 22 to communicate with each otherand with the controller 24. A general-purpose processor may be amicroprocessor, but may also be any conventional processor, controller,microcontroller, or state machine or may be implemented as a combinationof computing devices such as a microprocessor and a DSP, amicroprocessor and a DSP core, multiple microprocessors, or the like.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a controller 24. In someembodiments the controller includes a transmitter, receiver, ortransceiver, for example a Bluetooth L.E. unit, for wirelesscommunication with the boot sensor units 20 and 22. In some embodimentsone boot sensor unit is a master unit and the other is a slave, and inthese embodiments the controller 24 may also comprise a slave thatcommunicates only with the master boot sensor unit. The controller 24 isenclosed in a water-resistant or water-proof housing 60 which may bemade of hard plastic, soft plastic, or other suitable material. Thecontroller 24 includes a power source, for example, two “AA” or “AAA”alkaline batteries. As described above, other power sources enclosed in,or separate from, the controller 24 may be used instead.

Various controls are provided. In some embodiments, buttons protrudethrough holes in a front cover 62 of the controller 24. These mayinclude one or more of a power button 66; volume increase and decreasebuttons 68 and 70, respectively; right pressure sensitivity adjustmentbuttons 72 and 74; and left pressure sensitivity adjustment buttons 76and 78. In the embodiment shown, indicia carried by the right pressuresensitivity adjustment buttons include an “up” arrow on the button 72 toindicate that it increases the sensitivity and a “down” arrow on thebutton 74 to indicate that it reduces the sensitivity. Depending on howthe controls are configured and whether a proximity sensitivity controlis included, the indicia may be arranged differently as desired; forexample, some buttons may carry “left” or “right” arrows to indicate theleft and right sensors, respectively, as will be described in moredetail presently.

In some embodiments the controller 24 also includes one or more visualindicators such as LEDs. These may include a power indicator 80, a rightpressure indicator 82, and a left pressure indicator 84. When thecontroller 24 is powered up by depressing the power button 66, the powerindicator 80 may blink at one rate to indicate satisfactory power isbeing supplied and at a second rate to indicate that insufficient poweris being supplied, for example because the batteries need to be replacedor recharged. In alternative embodiments, the skier may be notified ofinsufficient power by audio signals.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the controller 24 has a rectangular shapewith shorter sides of a convex shape having a radius of approximately5.816 inches and longer sides of a concave shape having a radius ofapproximately 9.894 inches. The controller 24 is approximately 4.952inches in length, approximately 3.052 inches in width, and approximately0.695 inches in depth. These dimensions are not critical and may bevaried as desired. In alternative embodiments the controller 24 may becontained in an enclosure attachable to a wrist or an ear of the skieror may communicate through a mobile phone, an iPod or MP3 player, orother wireless or wired communication device.

In the embodiment shown, the controller 24 weighs approximately 7.2ounces with two “AA” alkaline batteries. This weight may increase ordecrease depending on design, type of power supply, etc.

When the controller 24 receives a signal from one of the boot sensorunits 20 or 22, a corresponding right or left pressure indicator 82 or84 will blink continually to inform the skier that the system is sendingand receiving signals. In alternative embodiments, in response toreceiving a signal from at least one boot sensor unit 20 or 22, thecontroller 24 generates an audio output signal.

The indicators 82 and 84 may blink at one rate to indicate satisfactorypower is being supplied to each of the boot sensor units 20 and 22 andat a second rate to indicate the contrary.

The power button 66 may have various effects depending on how long it isheld down. For example, it may power up the system if depressed for oneinterval of time, silence tone generation if depressed for anotherinterval, reactivate an inactive boot sensor unit 20 or 22 if depressedfor a third interval, and so one.

An audio output signal may be provided through a stereo audio outputjack 86, or through some other connector, through earphones hardwired tothe controller 24, or wirelessly. The volume adjustment buttons 68 and70 increase or decrease the volume of a tone output, for example by onesmall step each time the button is depressed. When a button isdepressed, a tone may be generated so the skier can select a desiredvolume. Right and left sensitivities are set with the right pressuresensitivity adjustment buttons 72 and 74 and the left pressuresensitivity adjustment buttons 76 and 78, for example by pressing andholding the right sensitivity button 74 or the left sensitivity button76 for a set period of time. In some embodiments, both are pressedsimultaneously to set sensitivity and then right and left forwardpressure points are set by using the right and left pressure sensitivitybuttons 72 and 78. A tone may be generated to indicate to the skier thatthe pressure thresholds have been set. The right sensitivity adjustmentbuttons 72, 74 and the left sensitivity adjustment buttons 76, 78control the sensitivity of the pressure sensor by adjusting a thresholdvalue that is compared to the pressure data received from the bootsensor units 20 and 22. The signal from each of the boot sensor units 20and 22 is converted to a value that may then be compared to thecorresponding right or left threshold setting. If the value is too lowor too high, a tone is generated on the corresponding left or rightaudio channel. The controls may be operated to select an indicator onlyif the pressure is too low, only if it is too high, or both, as theskier may desire.

In alternative embodiments, the controller 24 may further include a toneinversion switch that toggles the audio output between two states. Thedefault setting generates a tone when there is a state of no forwardpressure as compared to the threshold pressure value. The reversesetting may generate a tone when there is sufficient forward pressure ascompared to the threshold pressure value. This reverse setting may beuseful, for example, when the skier is skiing in powder conditions andtoo much forward pressure against the boots 12 may cause the skis 14 todive into the snow and inhibit performance. Further, this reversesetting may also be useful, for example, for bump skiing where too muchforward pressure may result in less than optimal performance. Thisreverse setting may be useful in other ski conditions and circumstances,and it may be used in combination with a placement of the boot sensorunits 20 and 22 in the back of the ski boots to indicate inadequateforward pressure, similar to the default setting when the boot sensorunits 20 and 22 are placed in the front of the ski boots.

The left and right pressure sensitivity buttons 78 and 74 may toggleactivation of proximity monitoring if depressed simultaneously for a setperiod of time, for example two seconds.

In alternative embodiments, different combinations of buttons held forvarious time periods may be used for the various functionalitiesdescribed above.

FIG. 7 gives an exploded front angle view of an exemplary embodiment ofthe controller 24. The stereo audio jack 86 is attached to the back of aprinted circuit board 88 flush with the lower edge. A microcontroller 90is located on the printed circuit board 88. The housing 60 furtherincludes the front cover 62 and a back cover 64. Cutouts in the frontcover 62 and the back cover 64 allow for access to the stereo audio jack86 for the earphones 26. A removable battery cover 92 that snaps into alocking position to cover a cutout in the back cover 64 allows foraccess to a power source, which in this embodiment includes two “AA”batteries positioned on a surface of the printed circuit board 88. Asdiscussed above, other power sources may be used. Switch pads 94 arelocated on the printed circuit board 88 that correspond to the buttonson a contact-sensitive silicone rubber keypad 96. In alternateembodiments a separate audio controller may be included on the circuitboard 88.

FIG. 8 gives an example of a master boot sensor unit 800, which can beone of the boot sensor units 20 or 22. In other embodiments, other bootsensor units may include similar components and functionality. Themaster boot sensor unit 800 includes a control module 802, a masterBluetooth unit 804 communicatively coupled to the control module 802 forcommunicating with the controller 24 and with a slave boot sensor unit900, and a pressure sensor unit 806 communicatively coupled to thecontrol module 802. These components may be implemented on a circuitboard such as the circuit board 48 of FIG. 5. The master Bluetooth unit804 may be a Bluetooth L.E. (Low Energy) unit.

The control module 802 includes a processor 808 and a memory 810 thatcontains software 812 for execution by the processor 808. The processor808 may comprise a single integrated circuit chip or several chipsincluding logic elements and other circuits. A power supply 814 providesoperating power for the circuit components; as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5,in some embodiments two “AA” batteries in series may serve as the powersupply.

The processor 808 and the memory 810 may be implemented using one ormore intelligent hardware devices, as referenced above, such as acentral processing unit (CPU) such as those made by Intel® Corporationor AMD®, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP),an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but mayalso be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, orstate machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination ofcomputing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and amicroprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors inconjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

In some embodiments the memory 810 comprises flash memory. The memory810 may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM),EEPROM, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desiredprogram code. The memory 810 may store computer-readable,computer-executable software code 812 containing instructions that areconfigured to, when executed (or when compiled and executed), cause theprocessor 808 to perform various functions such as pressure detection,proximity detection, transmission and reception of one or more signalsusing a one or more communication channels, etc.

The pressure sensor unit 806 includes a pressure sensor 816, the bladder30, and the bleed valve 34. In the drawing these components are shown asinterconnected with gas-carrying tubing, although they may be directlymounted to each other with no intervening tubing. The pressure sensor816 may comprise any type of pressure sensor, for example compressed gaspressure sensors, piezo resistive strain gauge sensors, capacitivepressure sensors, electromagnetic pressure sensors, piezoelectricpressure sensors, and potentiometric sensors. The pressure sensor 816may comprise a miniaturized Manifold Absolute Air Pressure sensor, suchas an Infineon® TurboMap® or Infineon® KP229E3518. The pressure sensor816 continuously provides a pressure signal indicative of the pressurevalue to the control module 802. In alternative embodiments, thepressure sensor 816 may periodically communicate the pressure signal tothe control module 802. The processor 808 may perform any neededfiltering and analog-to-digital conversion of the pressure signal, orsuch filtering and conversion may be performed in a separate signalconditioner (not shown).

The master Bluetooth unit 804 communicates wirelessly with a slaveBluetooth unit 902 in the slave boot sensor unit 900. Throughcommunication directly between the master and slave Bluetooth units, themaster Bluetooth unit 804 can determine proximity of one boot to theother by signal strength measurement. Either the left boot or the rightmay carry the master boot sensor unit 800 and the other may carry theslave boot sensor unit 900. The master Bluetooth unit 804 alsocommunicates with a slave Bluetooth unit in the controller 24. In otherembodiments, separate transceivers may be used for communication betweenthe master and slave boot sensor units and between the master bootsensor unit and the controller. In some embodiments, some or all of thefunctions of the processor 808 and the memory 810 may be physicallyembodied in the Bluetooth unit 804.

If pressure as sensed by the pressure sensor 816 and communicated to thecontroller 24 is too high or too low, a tone is provided to the skier.For example, if the master boot sensor unit 800 is attached to the leftboot, the tone will be heard in a left earphone. When the skier hearsthe tone in the left ear, the skier knows that an incorrect amount ofpressure is being applied by the left leg. Similarly, the master bootsensor unit provides a signal to the controller 24 indicative of theproximity of the boots to each other. If the proximity is not within apredetermined proximity range, the skier hears a tone in one or bothearphones.

The pressure sensor 816, the bladder 30, and the bleed valve 34 make upa sealed air-tight system. The bleed valve 34 may be combined with thetact power/reset switch 38 to form a single switch as previouslydescribed, or the bleed valve 34 may be independent of tact power/resetswitch 38.

In the embodiment shown, proximity is detected by measuring signalstrength from one boot transmitter to the other. In other embodiments,signal strength both ways is measured; that is, a first signaloriginating at the left boot is detected at the right boot, and a secondsignal originating at the right boot is detected at the left boot. Thestrengths of these two detected signals are averaged to obtain theseparation between the boots.

FIG. 9 gives an example of a slave boot sensor unit 900, which can beone of the boot sensor units 20 or 22. The slave boot sensor unit 900includes a control module 902, a master Bluetooth unit 904communicatively coupled to the control module 902 for communicating withthe controller 24 and with the master boot sensor unit 800, and apressure sensor unit 906 communicatively coupled to the control module902. These components may be implemented on a circuit board such as thecircuit board 48 of FIG. 5. The slave Bluetooth unit 904 may be aBluetooth L.E. (Low Energy) unit.

The control module 902 includes a processor 908 and a memory 910 thatcontains software 912 for execution by the processor 908. The processor908 may comprise a single integrated circuit chip or several chipsincluding logic elements and other circuits. A power supply 914 providesoperating power for the circuit components; as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5,in some embodiments two “AA” batteries in series may serve as the powersupply.

The components of the slave boot sensor unit 900 are generally similarto those of the master boot sensor unit 800, except that the Bluetoothunit 904 is a slave unit whereas the Bluetooth unit 804 is a masterunit.

A block diagram of the controller 24 according to an exemplaryembodiment is shown in FIG. 10. The controller 24 includes a controlmodule 1000, a Bluetooth unit 1002, one or more controls 1004 such aspushbuttons, and one or more indicators 1008 which may be LEDs. Thecontrol module 1000 includes a processor 1008 and a memory 1010 thatcontains software 1012 for execution by the processor 1008. Theprocessor 1008 may comprise a single integrated circuit chip or severalchips including logic elements and other circuits. A power supply 1014provides operating power for the circuit components; as shown in FIG. 7,two “AA” batteries may serve as the power supply.

These components of the controller 24 are generally similar to thecomponents of the boot sensor units 800 and 900 and will not be furtherdiscussed. The controls 1004 may comprise push buttons as discussedabove with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, or some other means by which theskier can give instructions to the processor. The indicators 1006 may bevisual indicators such as LEDs, as discussed with reference to FIG. 7,or some other visual, audible, or tactile indicators through which theprocessor can communicate information to the skier. In some embodimentsthe skier may communicate with the controller 24 through a cellphone orother similar device.

FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate functions of a sports monitoring apparatus.As shown in FIG. 11, a skier inserts the gas-filled bladders into theski boots between the boot tongues and the skier's shins (1100). Thenthe skier secures the ski boots on the legs in conventional manner(1102) and attaches the boots to the skis (1104). The skier powers onthe controller and the boot sensor units (1106). The skier takes astanding position with light forward pressure and adjusts the volume toa desired level using the volume adjustment buttons and the right andleft pressure threshold controls as desired (1108). The skier can adjustsensitivity of pressure feedback by applying different levels ofpressure to the front of the ski boot when adjusting the right and leftcontrols. In a similar manner, the proximity threshold may be set(1110).

Referring to FIG. 12, pressure in the right and left gas-filled bladders30 increases and decreases based upon the pressure of the skier's shinscompressing the bladders. The slave boot sensor unit 1200 detectspressure changes (1202) for leg 1 (for example, the right leg) andtransmits them (1204) to the master boot sensor unit 1206. Meanwhile themaster boot sensor unit 1206 detects pressure changes (1208) for leg 2(in this example, the left leg). The master boot sensor unit 1206receives (1210) the boot pressure signal for leg 1 from the slave bootsensor unit 1200. The master boot sensor unit 1206 determines theproximity (distance) between the boots (1212). The pressure values andproximity value are transmitted (1214) to the controller unit 24 andreceived (1216) by the controller unit. The right leg pressure iscompared (1218) with the threshold value previously set (1108) by theskier, and if the pressure is not within the threshold (1220) a tone isgenerated in the skier's right ear (1222). Similarly, the left legpressure is compared (1224) with the threshold value previously set, andif the pressure is not within the threshold (1226) a tone is generatedin the skier's left ear (1228). The proximity of the boots is compared(1230) with the value previously set by the skier (1110) and if theproximity is not within the threshold (1232) a proximity tone isgenerated in one or both ears (1234).

In some embodiments the pressure and proximity signals may be sent to acoach to facilitate coaching of the skier. In some embodiments, asdiscussed previously, the signals indicating pressure or proximity notwithin threshold may be sent to a cellphone or other device in additionto or instead of being sent to earphones, or may be stored in a databasefor later analysis.

Returning to the initial calibration illustrated in FIG. 11, a skier mayactivate a proximity detection function and set a proximity referencepoint and associated threshold range by placing the skis a desireddistance apart from one another and selecting a proximity set functionon the controller 24. The signal indicating proximity out of thresholdtypically differs in some way from the pressure signal and may be sentto one or both ears as desired.

FIG. 13 illustrates a master boot sensor unit software process accordingto some embodiments. When the system is activated (1300), firmwarevariables are initialized (1302) and processor peripherals areinitialized (1304).

Once initialization is complete, acquisition of pressure sensor data isinitiated (1306). Typically, the boot sensor units require about 20 mSto execute all the scheduled tasks assigned. In certain embodiments,during the period that the boot sensor units are performing their tasks,and specifically with regard to the pressure sensors, the controlmodules command the pressure sensors to activate and subsequentlyprovide a delay enabling the pressure sensors to stabilize. After thisdelay, in some embodiments the control modules execute several, forexample sixteen, samplings of the pressure sensor output voltages andaverage these readings; averaging serves as a minor recursive filter.

Proximity data, determined in some embodiments by the Bluetooth masterunit 804 according to the strength of the signal received from theBluetooth slave unit 904, are also acquired (1308).

If the master boot sensor unit control module determines that there isno valid proximity data (1308), it continues to loop through the dataacquisition cycle for a defined period of time. If that period of timeis exhausted, a timeout flag is set to 1 (1312) and the process willcontinue without proximity data. If at any time valid proximity data areacquired, the process proceeds without additional looping through thedata acquisition cycle.

Interrupts are deactivated (1314) and data are sent (1316) to thecontroller 24 for processing and event execution. The controller 24monitors and determines (1318) if at least one boot sensor unit issending a sensor signal. If yes, or if the sensor signal has beenreceived within a predetermined time T (1320), the controller 24 remainspowered on. If the controller 24 has not received any sensor signals ina predetermined time T, the controller 24 may power down 1322. In someembodiments T may be 10 minutes.

A similar operation can be used for each boot sensor unit once poweredon. If a signal is being received from at least one boot sensor unit, orhas been received within time T, the boot sensor unit completes itscycle by clearing one or more timer flags (1324) and reactivatinginterrupts (1326). If no signal has been received within time T, thesystem powers down (1322). Other signals or power switching approachesmay be used.

FIG. 14 illustrates a slave boot sensor unit software process accordingto some embodiments. This process is similar to that described abovewith reference to FIG. 13 except that the slave unit does not acquireproximity data. When the system is activated (1400), firmware variablesare initialized (1402) and processor peripherals are initialized (1404).The software associated with the slave boot sensor unit includes a 50 mStimer scheduling the execution of all peripheral functions includingacquiring pressure sensor data (1406). If the timer flag has not beenset (1408), the data acquisition cycle loops for a defined period oftime, in this embodiment 50 mS. If that period of time is exhausted,interrupts are deactivated (1410) and a loop (not shown) is entered inwhich the data are accumulated and in some embodiments may be averaged.Averaging serves as a mild recursive filtering function. The data arethen communicated (1412) to the controller 24 for processing and eventexecution.

The controller 24 monitors and determines (1414) if the slave bootsensor unit is sending a signal. If a signal is currently beingreceived, or has been received within a predetermined time T, thecontroller 24 remains powered on. If the controller 24 has not receivedany sensor signals in a predetermined amount of time T (1416), thecontroller 24 may power down (1418); in some embodiments T isapproximately ten minutes but in other embodiments T could be more orless than that. If the controller is receiving a signal, the cycle iscompleted by clearing one or more timer flags (1420) and reactivatinginterrupts (1422). In other embodiments, other signals or powerswitching approaches may be used.

For convenience in explanation, in this embodiment the functionsdescribed in FIGS. 13 and 14 are all described separately, and in acontext that the controller 24 performs some or all of these functions.In other embodiments some or all of these functions may be performed inthe boot sensor units. In embodiments in which all functions areperformed in the boot sensor units, the controller 24 may serve only asa control panel, sending control inputs to one of the boot sensor unitsfor all processing and receiving from the sensor unit activation signalsfor visual indicators. Or the controller 24 may be omitted entirely andcontrol functions may be performed through wireless communication with acellphone or other similar device. A signal from one boot pressuresensor may be sufficient for the process to run, or the system may powerdown unless both boot pressure sensors provide signals within the timeT.

If proximity detection is not used, the system may use an asynchronousoperating mode whereby both the boot pressure sensor units transmitevery 50 mS more or less.

15 illustrates a controller software process according to someembodiments. When the system is activated (1500), firmware variables areinitialized (1502) and processor peripherals are initialized (1504).Once initialization is complete, the keypad is scanned for theoccurrence of any activity (1506). If it is determined that there iskeypad activity indicating a function should be performed (1508), thecontroller evaluates the state of the associated variables indicatingwhat functions should be scheduled (1510). For example, if there is astate indicating a volume change has occurred, the value is assessed andthe volume adjustment function is scheduled. If there is a stateindicating the activation state of the unit has changed, it is assessedand the apparatus is either powered on or powered off. If there is anindication that the pressure threshold state has changed, the event isscheduled and the pressure threshold set accordingly when the event isexecuted. If there is an indication that the proximity threshold shouldbe changed, the event is scheduled and the proximity threshold is setaccordingly when the event is executed.

Once any functions initiated by keyboard activity are scheduled, thestate of the battery charge is determined and reported to the user(1512). Interrupts are deactivated to avoid disruptions during receiptof transmission that might otherwise compromise the data being received(1514). As the data is received from one or more boot sensor units(1516), the Mac data structures are parsed for analysis.

The Mac data structure is parsed and the system level MAC ID value isevaluated. If it is determined that the data originated from the samesystem (1518), then the local device MAC ID value is assessed todetermine which component in the system was the source of the data(1520). Otherwise, scheduled indicator functions are executed (1530).

If the local MAC ID indicates the source of the data was the secondaryboot sensor unit, the data is compared to the pressure thresholdreference point as discussed previously (1522), and the response flagsfor any required scheduled user indicator functions are set (1524). Thenscheduled indicator functions are executed (1530).

If it is determined that the source of the data is the master bootsensor unit, one or more additional processes are invoked to receive,process and analyze the RSSI data. The payload RSSI data for threeconsecutive readings are averaged and compared to the thresholdreference point (1526).

If less than three readings are received (1528), scheduled indicatorfunctions are executed (1530). Otherwise, received pressure data arecompared with threshold levels (1534), received RSSI data are comparedwith threshold levels (1532), and response flags for any requiredscheduled user indicator functions are set (1536). Then scheduledindicator functions are executed (1530).

After scheduled indicator functions are executed (1530), if a signal isbeing received the keypad is again scanned (1538). Or if a signal isreceived within a predetermined time T, the keypad is again scanned(1540). Otherwise power-down occurs (1542).

With reference to all of the figures above, a method for monitoringpressure of limbs or portions of limbs against pieces of equipment andthe proximity of the respective limbs or portions of limbs, followed byinstantaneous feedback to the user with respect to the status ofpressure and proximity thresholds is described. The example used toillustrate this embodiment will be that of a ski training device used inconjunction with ski boots, but applications to other sports andactivities are also suggested, such as use with boarding boots,motorcycle boots, water skiing boots, wake boarding boots, and otherboots.

Referring to FIG. 17, in a first step of an exemplary embodiment whereina gas-filled pressure sensor is used, the gas pressure in the bladder isnormalized to the ambient air pressure (1700).

In a next step, the gas-filled bladder assumes its natural shape (1702).

In a next step, the boot sensor units are inserted into thecorresponding right or left ski boot such that the bottom of the bootsensor unit casing rests within the area one inch directly above theupper most point of the boot tongue (1704).

In a next step, the controller is activated. An LED blinks continuously,or at a one second interval, indicating that the controller is poweredon (1706). A second LED on the controller indicates that a transmissionis being received from a first pressure sensor (1708). A third LED onthe controller indicates that a transmission is being received from asecond pressure sensor.

In a next step, proximity detection is activated by toggling anactivation switch on the controller (1710). Alternatively, otherswitching mechanisms may be used, such as pressing and holding two ofthe pressure adjustment buttons simultaneously for a set duration oftime.

In a next step, the skier attaches a pair of skis to the skier's boots(1712).

In a next step, the skier inserts a device capable of generating stereosound into the stereo jack on the wireless controller (1714).

In a next step, the skier is to assume an erect posture and neutralstance where there is no pressure against gas filled bladder insertedinto the ski boot (1716).

In a next step, a soft tone is generated on the left and the rightstereo channels. Tone volume for the right channel may be adjusted to adesired level through the use of one or more buttons on the controller.Tone volume for the left channel may be adjusted to a desired levelthrough the use of one or more buttons on the on the controller (1718).

In a next step, the skier may lean in the skis to a sufficient degree tocreate a light pressure against the gas-filled bladder (1720).

In a next step, the skier may adjust the sensitivity threshold for theright channel to a setting immediately beyond the point where the tonestops in the right ear (1722, 1724).

In a next step, the skier may adjust the sensitivity threshold for theleft channel to a setting immediately beyond the point where the tonestops in the left ear (1722, 1724).

In a next step, the wireless controller powers down in a set number ofminutes if either the wireless controller does not receive a stream ofpressure data or if there is no transmission received (1728).

In a next step, the boot sensor may powers down in a set number ofminutes if there is no detectable change in pressure (1730).

In a next step, a distinct tone is generated on one or more channels ifthe proximity of the boot sensor unit is outside a range associated witha proximity reference point (1726).

Also, contemplated herein are methods for connecting various componentsof a sport-boot pressure monitoring apparatus. The methods thusencompass the steps inherent in the above described mechanicalstructures and operation thereof.

Some embodiments include saving a log of one or more of pressure values,proximity values, and set points at time intervals over a predeterminedtime period. The saved information may be formatted into a downloadablefile that can be communicated to a mobile phone such as an Apple iPhoneor other device for contemporaneous or later review. The time period maybe set by the user ahead of time or while engaged in monitoring pressureor proximity, or the time period may be predetermined in advance. Forexample, the method may include automatically saving the log over aten-minute period and then storing it in memory or downloading it toanother device.

Proximity of the boots to each other is determined in some embodimentsby measuring the strength of an RF signal or other signal transmittedfrom one boot to the other, for example from the left to the right. Inother embodiments, each boot transmits a signal to the other, thestrengths of both received signals are measured, and the results areaveraged to give the proximity of the boots to each other. The systemsand methods disclosed herein can perform either kind of proximitymeasurement as desired.

In some embodiments, pressure of the leg against the tongue or otherfront part of the boot is measured. A signal is provided to the userindicating whether the pressure is absent or present, either by givingan audible or visual alert if the pressure is present, or by giving thealert if the pressure is absent. In other embodiments, pressure of theleg against the back of the boot is measured and similar alerts aregiven. The control unit 24 may be provided with one or more buttons orother switches to change from one indication to another, and thesoftware 114 can include suitable instructions for the processor 101 toprovide the desired output signal as selected by the user in the controlunit 24.

Similarly, the amount of pressure that will generate an alert can bevaried by the user by means of a button or other switch on the controlunit 24.

Some embodiments include saving a log of one or more of pressure values,proximity values, and set points at time intervals over a predeterminedtime period. The saved information may be formatted into a downloadablefile that can be communicated to a mobile phone such as an Apple iPhoneor other device for contemporaneous or later review. The time period maybe set by the user ahead of time or while engaged in monitoring pressureor proximity, or the time period may be predetermined in advance. Forexample, the method may include automatically saving the log over aten-minute period and then storing it in memory or downloading it toanother device.

In some embodiments, pressure of the leg against the tongue or otherfront part of the boot is measured. A signal is provided to the userindicating whether the pressure is absent or present, either by givingan audible or visual alert if the pressure is present, or by giving thealert if the pressure is absent. In other embodiments, pressure of theleg against the back of the boot is measured and similar alerts aregiven. The control unit 24 may be provided with one or more buttons orother switches to change from one indication to another, and thesoftware 114 can include suitable instructions for the processor 101 toprovide the desired output signal as selected by the user in the controlunit 24. Similarly, the amount of pressure that will generate an alertcan be varied by the user by means of a button or other switch on thecontrol unit 24.

FIG. 16 illustrates another embodiment of left and right boot sensorsthat include a proximity adjuster. In some respects this embodiment issimilar to the one illustrated in FIG. 11 and described above. Acontroller 1600 includes a processor 1602 and an antenna 1604. A leftboot sensor unit 1606 includes a processor 1610 with a transmitterantenna 1612, a pressure sensor 1614 with a transmitter antenna 1616,and a proximity detector 1618 with a receiver antenna 1620. A right bootsensor unit 1608 includes a processor 1622 with a transmitter antenna1624, a pressure sensor 1626 with a transmitter antenna 1628, and aproximity detector 1630 with a receiver antenna 1632. The left and rightboot sensor units 1606 and 1608 communicate wirelessly with thecontroller 1600 as indicated by communication links 1634 and 1636,respectively.

The left boot pressure sensor 1614 communicates with the right bootproximity sensor 1630, which may be a receiver, as indicated by acommunication link. Similarly, the right boot pressure sensor 1626communicates with the left boot proximity sensor 1618 as indicated by acommunication link 1638, 1640.

In operation, either sensor unit may operate as a “master” and the otheras a “secondary” or a “slave”, or the two may be co-equal. The leftproximity sensor 1618 provides a signal indicative of the proximity ofone boot to the other, for example by measuring the strength of thesignal it receives from the right pressure sensor 1626. Similarly theright proximity sensor 1630 provides a signal indicative of theproximity of one boot to the other, for example by measuring thestrength of the signal it receives from the left pressure sensor 1614.These two proximity signals may be averaged to provide a final proximitymeasure, or either of them may be used by itself to provide a proximitymeasure. The averaging of the two signals may be carried out in hardwareor by any of the controllers under software instructions. The right andleft pressure sensor outputs can be communicated from one sensor unit tothe other, or from each sensor unit to the controller.

While certain embodiments and details have been included herein forpurposes of illustrating aspects of the instant disclosure, variouschanges in systems, apparatus, and methods disclosed herein may be madewithout departing from the scope of the instant disclosure.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A sport-boot pressure monitoring systemcomprising: a left boot sensor including a left flexiblefluid-containing bladder shaped to fit between a user's left leg and aninterior surface of a left boot worn by the user and a left pressuresense element in pressure-sensing communication with the left flexiblefluid-containing bladder; a right boot sensor including a right flexiblefluid-containing bladder shaped to fit between a user's right leg and aninterior surface of a right boot worn by the user and a right pressuresense element in pressure-sensing communication with the right flexiblefluid-containing bladder; and a controller responsive to the pressuresense elements to provide a pressure alert if pressure between one ofthe user's legs and the interior surface of the boot worn on that legviolates a predetermined pressure threshold and to provide a proximityalert if a distance between the left and right boots violates apredetermined proximity threshold.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein theflexible fluid-containing bladders are frictionally engageable with theinner surfaces of the boots.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein thepressure alert comprises an audible alert and the proximity alertcomprises an audible alert different than the pressure alert.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the predetermined pressure threshold comprisesdifferent values of pressure for the left and right legs.
 5. The systemof claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a stereo audio output jackand the pressure alert comprises an audio tone directed to a leftchannel of the output jack if the pressure between the user's left legand the interior surface of the left boot violates the predeterminedpressure threshold and an audio tone directed to a right channel of theoutput jack if the pressure between the user's right leg and theinterior surface of the right boot violates the predetermined pressurethreshold.
 6. The system of claim 5 wherein the proximity alertcomprises an audio tone directed to both channels if the distancebetween the left and right boots violates the predetermined proximitythreshold.
 7. The system of claim 1 wherein the pressure thresholdcomprises one of a minimum pressure value, a maximum pressure value, anda range of pressure values.
 8. The system of claim 1 wherein theproximity threshold comprises one of a minimum distance, a maximumdistance, and a range of distances.
 9. The system of claim 1 whereineach boot sensor comprises an arcuate housing with the flexiblefluid-containing bladder extending from the arcuate housing.
 10. Thesystem of claim 9 wherein the arcuate housing comprises an electricalpower supply compartment.
 11. The system of claim 1 wherein thecontroller comprises a radio transmitter carried by one of the bootsensors and a radio receiver carried by the other of the boot sensors,the receiver in signal-receiving communication with the transmitter. 12.The system of claim 11 wherein the transmitter and receiver compriseBluetooth units.
 13. The system of claim 11 wherein the controllerdetermines the distance between the left and right boots according tostrength of the signal received by the receiver from the transmitter.14. The system of claim 13 wherein the receiver comprises a masterBluetooth L.E. unit and the transmitter comprises a slave Bluetooth L.E.unit.
 15. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a lefttransceiver carried by the left boot sensor and a right transceivercarried by the right boot sensor, each transceiver in signal-receivingcommunication with the other.
 16. The system of claim 15 wherein thecontroller determines the distance between the left and right bootsaccording to strengths of the signals received by each transceiver fromthe other.
 17. The system of claim 15 wherein the controller determinesthe distance between the left and right boots according to an average ofthe strengths of the signals received by each transceiver from theother.
 18. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises aradio transmitter carried by one of the boot sensors, a radiotransceiver carried by the other of the boot sensors, the transceiver insignal-receiving communication with the transmitter, and a control unithaving a radio receiver in signal-receiving communication with thetransceiver.
 19. The system of claim 18 wherein the control unitcomprises a user-operable pressure threshold set control.
 20. The systemof claim 18 wherein the control unit comprises a user-operable proximitythreshold set control.